Cinnamon & Vanilla Chai Tea

I must admit, I’ve become a bit of a tea snob in the last year. I never ever buy tea bags anymore (unless it’s just plain black tea to make kombucha). Where I work, we make our own organic tea blends and have made some really delicious mixes. I’ve started experimenting with some simple ones at home and have come up with this Cinnamon & Vanilla Chai Tea. It’s a little bit spicy and has a good kick of cinnamon. You can add some soy or nut milk like spelt or almond to make it rich and creamy.

This is also a base for a great traditional chai tea. Just take out the vanilla, add in loose leaf black tea and the quantities of each ingredient need to be slightly adjusted to taste. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different spices and make a blend that you will love to drink all the time. There are so many great health benefits from these spices used. Here’s a list of just a few from each ingredient:

Cardamom Pods – helps with depression, aids digestion, has detoxifying effects, lowers blood pressure and helps with mouth ulcers and infections in the throat and mouth.

Star Anise – aids with respiratory tract infections, helps to treat the flu, assists with digestion, is an anti-fungal and for women it helps with menstruation and increasing the flow of breast milk.

Cloves – a well known antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-fungal and also offers temporarily relief from tooth aches.

Ginger – probably one of the best known facts about ginger is its digestive and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also known for relieving nausea, morning and motion sickness. Ginger is one of my favourite foods to cook with. I use it in everything!

Vanilla – a powerful anti-microbial, increases mental health and it promotes healthy skin as it’s a good source of vitamin B. Vanilla also assists with digestion, improves dental health and helps to regulate period cycles for women.

As you can see, a lot of these spices have many similar health benefits and have many more that I’ve not listed today. You can’t go wrong with having this combination at least a few times a week! You will feel better and it’s wonderful that it also tastes great!